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Tennessee Titans
Overall: 105
Title track: 93
Ownership: 97
Coaching: 116
Players: 103
Fan relations: 85
Affordability: 59
Stadium experience: 104
Bang for the buck: 115
Change from last year: +12
It's hard for a team that has won just eight of its last 30 games to move up dramatically here, though a 12-point jump shows that fans are recognizing that a lot of positive things are happening. Ownership has stabilized, the team's facility underwent a major facelift and update, and the stadium is looking much better. None of that translates to wins, though.
What's good
Besides affordability, where the Titans' third-cheapest ticket in the league earns them plenty of fans, the Titans' fan-relations ranking is among their best (at 85, up 25 spots from 2015). Season-ticket holders are getting increasingly good treatment. The team has exclusive offseason nights at the stadium where they can mingle with different players, coaches and executives. Some season-ticket holders had special access at preseason practices, a scrimmage night at the stadium and at home games when they line the players' entry path to the field. The Titans are working hard to provide perks to the people who invest the most and show the greatest loyalty.
What's bad
Many fans weren't happy with the team's decision to stick with Mike Mularkey, promoted to interim coach last season, as the team's full-time head coach; he's ranked 116th overall, and worst in the NFL, in coaching. Mularkey was 18-39 in his time as head coach of the Bills, Jaguars and Titans, and a second chance for a guy with a bad record -- no matter how likable -- didn't seem to offer a cure to the Titans' ills. That said, Mularkey has the respect of his players, he's a straight shooter who offers candid assessments with the press, and he has been a willing presence in the community. But it's still too early to say if his smashmouth offense and partnership with new GM Jon Robinson will work.
What's new
Controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk has now been on the job for about 18 months, and she has slowly learned the ropes while making a lot of significant moves (she's up 14 spots this year, to 97th). The biggest was hiring Jon Robinson as general manager, and so far, so good for Robinson, at least as a personnel evaluator. The team overhauled the facility, totally recreating the locker room, and the stadium's relationship with Nissan has the building looking its best in years. Strunk also seems to have gained some traction with the league and her peers, getting named to the NFL's Hall of Fame committee.
Next: Miami Dolphins | Full rankings